Your Children

. . . your children shall come back . . . 

 - From Jeremiah 31

The proper celebration of Christmas, if done according to the historical template, involves one day of sadness, and even grief. The Fourth Day of Christmas, the 28th, is The Feast of the Innocents. This is a day to remember the slaughter of all boys up to two years of age, in Judea, per the order of King Herod (who was aware of Messianic prophecies and feared his power may have to be surrendered to some kid). 

The 2022 generation is not able to reference, or emotionally access, this. Death is a part of life. Tragedy is all too prevalent in the lives of too many people, including our youngest and most innocent members. But people in 2022 run away from such thoughts, like half the population would scatter at the mere utterance: "covid."

Our generation spouts such platitudes as "you deserve to be happy." And our obsession with "life" and "safety" goes to such an extreme that our quality of life is lost. We become too unhappy and frustrated when things aren't perfect. 

They were far from perfect in 4 A.D. And they are not much improved today, if at all (some may argue we've never been worse off as a species. Our scientific advances simply mean that we know an awful lot. We know, maybe, too much, or more than we can handle).

When faced with inevitable pain or loss, in 2022, children are provided with "expert" counselors that will do whatever they do, but absent an essential awareness of the particular beliefs of the child's family, regarding death and eternal life. Jesus Himself drew children to Him. He did this even though He knew that, not too far hence, He would be seen hanging, horrifically and publicly on a cross. 

My background is this: Death is a part of life and you harm children by shielding them from it. 

Even the joy of Christmas, if observed correctly, has a component of horror and sadness. A remembrance of the terrible crime of Herod is in order. Remember it, for it must not be forgotten. People that crave power, like Herod (and many if not most of today's politicians) will do anything to hold on to their power. I'm sure the fake king of ancient Judea had all kinds of justifications for his wicked deed: To maintain order. To keep the people "safe," maybe from Rome. Or even, to uphold the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Whatever . . . 

In the end, the Jeremiah prophecy brings it full circle to happiness and fulfillment. As bad as things get, as horrific and violent our experience may become . . . our children will come back. 

Every good thing lost will be restored. And it will be held onto, even more desperately, as we have experienced life in the absence of good things. 

It's the hardest thing to do: To stay positive, even cheerful, in the midst of debilitating grief. We can do this because we know the ending. The most precious thing to us: our children . . . may be removed from us, forcefully and violently. They may be forced into (or even gently coerced) becoming something we do not recognize. They may be altered into an unhappy and impulsive creature, acting with the forethought of a beast acting on instincts - - - the direct opposite of an adult that had been raised in a proper and loving home. They may have been converted into something that cannot enter into the eternal kingdom of God. 

But our children . . . the ones that left us . . . the ones removed from us . . . will come back. 

There is hope for all of us. The Christmas message occurs in the context of a lost, broken, violent, and evil world. Out of such, we have the greatest gifts of all: peace, life, happiness, and love.